These Glow In The Dark Rice Balls Are Nuts

We don’t have very many limits when it comes to food. Adventure is just part of the job. But we draw the line at dishes that glow in the dark.

Unfortunately for us, Japanese Twitter user @unatra has figured out a way to make onigiri – the traditional triangular rice balls eaten as an anytime snack – into horrifying glowing creations that pulsate otherworldly colors under ultraviolet light.

What kind of fancy chemicals do you need to create Japanese snacks that glow in the dark? Surprisingly, nothing fancier than tonic water, food coloring and a couple Vitamin B2 supplements. Dissolve the supplements and coloring in the water you use to cook the rice and when you put it under a blacklight it’ll glow. Unfortunately, when not under the special light these rice balls are a pretty nauseating puke green color, but there’s always a trade-off.

We don’t see glow in the dark food becoming a hot new culinary trend anytime soon, but if you really need balls that fluoresce, this is probably the best way to go about doing it. Just don’t eat too many of these, as too much B2 can have deleterious health effects.